With the Nintendo Switch 2, it looks like Nintendo is finally catching up with its peers like PlayStation and Xbox. That’s not just about 4K visuals and 120fps framerates. For example, Nintendo finally has a unified account system, letting players carry over their original Switch purchases over to the upcoming console. Nintendo’s previous consoles and handhelds all had siloed digital purchases.
The Switch 2 also has its own form of voice chat called GameChat, which lets players speak with their friends and other players online. Unified account systems and internal voice chats are features that Xbox and PlayStation figured out in the 2000s and 2010s, but at least for Nintendo, it’s better late than never.
Even though Nintendo is adopting features that its competitors have for years and is showing signs of modernization, there’s still one small thing missing for me: an Achievement system.
Just one thing missing
Microsoft originally pioneered the modern achievement system, which lets players unlock badges on their Xbox profiles by completing certain objectives in each of their games. It was such a popular engagement feature that PlayStation and Steam followed suit and created their own equivalent versions in the form of PlayStation Trophies and Steam Achievements.
For some reason, Nintendo never got on that train. With the Switch 2’s unveiling, there were many players, myself included, who were hoping that Nintendo would finally get on board and create its own system-wide accolade system. At this point, it seems like it never will, at least in the way I’m hoping.
Some games on Switch 2 have in-game achievements, and that acts like a workaround for the lack of a system-wide achievement system. The upcoming Mario Kart World appears to include one based on a detail viewers noticed during a Nintendo Treehouse demo. It’s not like this is a new initiative. Xenoblade Chronicles X on the Wii U had in-game achievements, and so did its Definitive Edition remaster on Switch. However, it’s still not a satisfying replacement for a full-fledged achievement system that I can show off online and boast about my gamer cred.
Achievement hunters are a minority in the gaming community, but they still drive engagement and cause some to stick around a game for much longer. Achievements are a fantastic way to motivate players to check out a single-player game’s post-game content or keep a multiplayer game’s player base steady.
In the big picture, the lack of a system-wide achievement system won’t spell doom for Switch 2. If it did, that would only be a bonus and Nintendo wouldn’t lose its unique identity within the video game market. The bigger problem is how Nintendo is straddling the line between catching up with its competitors while also doing its own thing.
Moving forward
It’s a question of future-proofing. This transition between Switch to Switch 2 is, in some ways, the first time Nintendo has felt like it has the future in mind. 4K visuals, DLSS support, and more make this feel like an entirely different company than the one we’ve seen over the last few generations. On the flipside, there are still remaining traces of that old company poking through.
Possibly passing on a system-wide achievement system is one of the small places where you can trace that. Nintendo laid the groundwork for its unified online system with the Switch, and now it’s finally bearing fruit. It could’ve hopped onto the boat and implemented an achievement system back in 2017, but chose not to. The Switch 2 would’ve been the second best time to do it.
Even back in 2017, the Switch still used the antiquated Friend Code feature instead of just being able to search someone up in an online database. While Nintendo hasn’t confirmed whether Friend Codes are still being used for Switch 2, the verbiage on its website indicates that they’ll be returning. That would leave it awkwardly between something modern and dated.
Will there be internal capability for native streaming, which PlayStation and Xbox can do without the use of a capture card? Will apps like Netflix come to the console finally? What do the system’s confirmed eshop improvements actually look like? These are questions that we didn’t get an answer to during the Direct and we don’t have reason to be optimistic.
Nintendo’s attempt at catching up, while still maintaining its unique identity, has created a conundrum for Switch 2. It’s more powerful, which will help games run better, and the internal voice chat at least proves that Nintendo wants to be on par with its competitors in the features department. The Joy-Con mouse functionality is like the Legion Go’s ability for players to use the right controller as a mouse. Nintendo knows it now has competition in the handheld market with systems like the Steam Deck and has to innovate in order to keep up.
But Nintendo’s hesitance to adopt certain features could hold Switch 2 back. The hardware is certainly advanced, which is expected for a successor, but the wider ecosystem still seems lacking at a glance. It’s unclear if Nintendo will meet those expectations. At a premium price of $450, I expect a premium product, and Nintendo’s mixed messaging on Switch 2 falls a bit short so far.
